Air-ship



(No Model.)

G. E. BECHTEL.

AIR SHIP.

No. 429,373. Patented June 3,1890.

W/TNESSES A TTORNEYS.

w: mums Firms 00.. vnorvS-umm, WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES E. BECHTEL, OF UDALL, KANSAS.

AIR-SHlP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,373, dated June 3,1890.

Application filed November 20, 1889. Serial No. 330,972. (No model.)

To all 1072 0112, it may concern.

Be it known that 1', CHARLES ELMER Bnon- TEL, of Udall, in the county ofCowley and State of Kansas, have invented a new and Improved AirShip, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

hily invention is an improvement in that class of mechanical aerialnavigators which include two parallel pointed cylinders containing somebuoyant medium, a means for propelling such cylinders, and lateral.wings which are made adjustable on their transverse axes for the purposeof guiding the airship up or down, as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the aecompan yin g drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved airship. Fig. 2 is a side view ofthe same, and Fig. 3 is a front view thereof.

In the drawings, and 10 represent cylinders formed with pointed forwardends 11 and connected by a light frame 12, upon or beneath which thereis stretched a light platform 13, preferably made of woven steel wire.The platform 13 supports an electric or other motor 1a, which drives ashaft 15, said shaft 15 carrying a gear 16, thatengages gears 17 and 17which are loosely mounted on lateral shafts 18 and 1S, clutches 19 and19, which ride on feathers formed on the shafts 1S and 18, beingarranged in connection with the gears 17 and 17, whereby either one orboth of the shafts 18 or 18 may be rotated, as will be readilyunderstood.

The shafts 1S and 1S carry gears 20 and 20, that engage correspondinggears 21 and 21, carried by short shafts 22 and 22, said shaftsextending to the rear from the cylinders 10 and 10 and carrying screwsor propellers 23 and 23. Shifting-levers 24; and 2a are arranged inconnection with the clutches 19 and 19. To the outer sides of thecylinders there are connected wings and 30, said wings being pivotallymounted on horizontal shafts 31 and 31. The wings 30 and 30 carry racksand 32, which said racks are engaged by annular racks or gears 34 and34, that are mounted in proper guideways 35 and 35, such guideways beingcarried by the cylinders 10 and 10. In order that the annular racks orgears 34 and 34 may be turned at will, I provide shafts 36 and 36, whichcarry pinions 37 and 37, such pinions engaging the annular racks orgears.

From the construction described it will be seen that within certainpredetermined limits the wings 30 may be inclined at such angle to thehorizontal line as may be desired, and in order that the wings may beheld in the position to which they have been moved I provide the shafts36 and 36 with ratchets I38 and 38', that are engaged by pawls 39 and30.

In operation the cylinders 10 and 10 are inflated, not, however,sufficiently to overcome the attraction of gravitation, but almost tothat point. Then if the ship is to be driven forward with and fasterthan the wind, or if the ship is to be driven against the wind, theshafts 36 and 36 are turned so that the forward edges of the wings 30and 30 willbe raised, as represented in Fig. 2. The motor is thenstarted, and as the ship is driven ahead the resistance of theatmosphere actting upon the wings will carry the ship upward. On theother hand, if the vessel is to move with but slower than the wind, therear edges of the wings would be moved upward. The vesselis steered tothe right by throwing the operating-lever 2t so that the clutch 19 willbe carried out of engagement with its gear 17, thus cutting out thescrew or propeller 22-3, but leaving the connections of the screw orpropeller 23 such that the propeller will be revolved. To move thevessel to the left, the screw or propellerflS will be out out and theconnections of the screw or propeller 23 left intact.

By arranging the main structure of my airship or flying-machine afterthe style and fashion of a catamaran I secure a maximum amount ofstrength with a minimum amount of resistance, and also the advantage ofdirect propulsion.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent In an air-ship, the combination, with a pair turningthe annular racks 0r gears, substanof united cylinders and a means forpropeltially as described. ling the same, of Wings pivotally connected 1to the outer sides of the cylinders, racks car- CHARLES BECH 5 ried bythe wings, movable annular racks 0r Witnesses:

gears carried by the cylinders and arranged P. WILLIS SMITH, to engagethe Wing-racks, and a means for E. H. BARNHART.

